Nick Sirianni has come under more scrutiny than expected for someone who has led the Philadelphia Eagles to three consecutive playoff appearances and a Super Bowl berth in his three seasons as head coach.
But he’s at least received the support of A.J. Brown.
As the Eagles (11-5) scuffled over the past month, losing four of their past five games, reports have surfaced about locker room drama, finger-pointing, and a lack of accountability that suggest Sirianni is losing his team.
As evidence of the Eagles’ dysfunction, tensions have even spilled onto the field, as it did at the end of the Eagles’ Week 16 victory over the New York Giants.
Yet ahead of the Eagles’ final regular-season game Sunday against the Giants once again, Pro Bowl receiver A.J. Brown threw his support behind the embattled coach Wednesday.
Recalling the final play of a last-minute loss to Seattle in Week 15, Brown said the play — which resulted in a game-ending interception — was improvised. But Sirianni stepped up to take the blame in order to protect his players.
“He made himself look like a fool for us,” said Brown, the Eagles’ leading receiver with 105 receptions, 1,147 receiving yards and seven TDs. “I have nothing but respect for him because not all coaches do that. You know what I mean?
“So, we ride with Nick. We ride with (offensive coordinator) Brian (Johnson). We just gotta come out, and we just gotta play ball. That’s all it is.”
A.J. Brown and Philadelphia Eagles fans express their frustration
The Eagles, once the NFC’s No. 1 seed with a 10-1 record entering December, have clinched a playoff berth, but fell to the No. 5 seed as a result of last Sunday’s 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in their final home game at Lincoln Financial Field that exasperated their passionate fanbase.
The Eagles’ players have exhibited their dissatisfaction as well, from receiver DeVonta Smith talking about the team’s unhappiness over how it’s played, to their lukewarm response to Nick Sirianni’s locker room speech after beating the Giants, to Brown’s growing frustration.
On Sunday, the Eagles need a win over the Giants, combined with a Dallas Cowboys loss, to rise back up to the No. 2 seed.
In the midst of their current skid, Nick Sirianni replaced defensive coordinator Sean Desai with Matt Patricia, yet the defense has struggled mightily, surrendering more than 30 points per game over the past five games.
Brown, however, believes the Eagles are “right there. We right there. … And we know we are. Despite everything and despite everybody saying this and saying that, we right there. And we know we are. And that’s the only thing that matters. That we know.”